Health Studies in the Context of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining: A Scoping Review

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is an important livelihood activity in many low- middle-income countries. It widely acknowledged that there are a myriad of health risk opportunities associated with ASM. However, little known regard to which aspects have been studied ASM settings. We conducted scoping review peer-reviewed publications, using readily available electronic databases (i.e., PubMed, Scopus, Web Science) from inception 14 July 2020. Relevant information was synthesized emphasis on human environmental exposures effects context Our search yielded 2764 records. After systematic screening, 176 studies 38 countries were retained for final analysis. Most the (n = 155) focused extracting gold. While included collection samples 154), only few 30) investigated infectious diseases. Little attention given vulnerable groups, such as women reproductive age children. provides detailed characterisation contexts. Future research settings should address more comprehensively, including potential spread diseases, mental well-being.